Detroit/Michigan

The Detroit Lions officially unveiled their new branding today. The new look is more of an update than a complete redesign. The Lion mark is now more aggressive in appearance, and the logotype received a new typeface.

Reactions have been mixed, with most critics saying that it's not enough of a change. Personally, I think it's an improvement. I hated the old western type, and as a kid the the negative space under the chin always confused me.

Let's be honest, had the change been radical, the same people would be complaining.

http://www.detroitlions.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=483672

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090420/COL08/90420044&...

Detroit Wildlife from florent tillon on Vimeo.

It's baseball time again. To get you in the mood, I present you with Roar of the Tigers – a Detroit Tigers blog that just so happens to have some really rad illustrations.

http://mvn.com/roarofthetigers/index.html?page=2

Create for the Cup is a non-competitive opportunity to have some fun and support your team. Prove that your team has the most creative fans!

Design a poster, craft with pucks, decorate a cake...
the possibilities are endless!

http://www.createforthecup.com

(Google Query Suggestions are based on the popularity of searches)

The Detroit Urban Craft Fair is an alternative craft fair featuring 50+ independent, DIY artists and crafters. DUCF exists around a community market feel, encouraging the interaction of maker and buyer, while showcasing a wealth of handmade talent.

The 2008 DUCF is November 15 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Fillmore Detroit (formerly the State Theatre.)

http://detroiturbancraftfair.com/
http://handmadedetroit.com/

Based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns' (Greg Kinnear) long battle with the U.S. automobile industry, Flash of Genius tells the tale of one man whose fight to receive recognition for his ingenuity would come at a heavy price.

http://www.flashofgenius.net/

I was cruising around detroitmakeithere.com, a site that I overall support and think conceptually is a good idea, and I came across a confusing article. The article tells the story of Breeze Design Studio. Breeze essentially offers a design service similar to the logo factories that churn out work at cheap prices. Prices ranging from $99 to $2,100, and packages include domain registration, Web hosting and design, logos, stationary and brochures.

It goes on to say that they have a staff of 25 designers, 21 based out of an office in Sri Lanka. The four local designers were convinced to work at "very minimum" salaries in exchange for a fixed portion of the company profits after the third year.

With Detroit's revitalization efforts and the push to bring 1,500 creative jobs into the city, the Creative Cities Summit 2.0 is a logical place for this meeting of the minds. CCS2 is asking architects, designers, urban planners, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, students, educators and community leaders to come out and share their experiences, projects, successes and failures to re-imagine what a city is. The event will be held October 12-15. Creative Cities Summit, first held in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2004, comes to Detroit because it stands as a metaphor and an inspiration to cities shaped by the industrial revolution that now look forward to a new, vibrant creative economy rooted in knowledge, talent and creativity.

http://creativecitiessummit.com/

Detroit Renaissance Inc. this week started its "creative economy" initiative by launching the beta site for "Detroit Make It Here." It's up and running, but it will launch formally after early feedback. The site targets companies in creative sectors -- from architecture to engineering to Web design, to lure talent to the area and allow creative to network.

http://www.detroitmakeithere.com/